CC Sabathia threw a two-inning simulated game this afternoon. He threw one 15-pitch inning and one 18-pitch inning, and he added a few extra hitters at the end just to get his pitch count up. It was technically his first sim game of the spring, but it was really no different than the last time he threw batting practice.

“Just making sure of fastball location,” Sabathia said. “I felt like it was pretty good today. I cut a couple, but I still feel like I’m pretty good on schedule to be ready to start the season.”

Sabathia will pitch another simulated game on Sunday. He could pitch in a regular game that day, but the Yankees want to avoid having him face the Blue Jays. Sabathia said he agrees. He’d rather pitch simulated games at the Yankees complex than give a division rival another chance to see him in person.

It’s all about getting ready for the season, and Sabahtia can get his work in without pitching in an actual game.

“Now it’s just worrying about pitches and making sure the actions are right and velocity’s getting there,” Sabathia said. “I worry about normal pitching stuff now. It feels good.”

The video above is Sabathia talking immediately after today’s sim game. Sorry about the wind.

[2]• The Yankees next round of cuts includes two of the top prospects in the system. RF Tyler Austin and C Gary Sanchez have each been re-assigned to the minor league complex. So have SS Cito Culver, 3B Rob Segedin, C Francisco Arcia and C Kyle Higashioka. We learned Sunday that 1B Greg Bird has also been sent down. That leaves 74 players still in big league camp.

• Anthony McCarron reports that Mark Teixeira was scratched from today’s Team USA game because of a sore forearm. That’s as much information as we have at this point.

• Phil Hughes will move back to 90 feet when he plays catch tomorrow. That’s kind of a light version of long toss (Hughes said the longest he normally goes is about 120-140 feet). Hughes said he still feels good, and he still thinks he has time to break camp with the team. “Physically, I could get on a mound today and get through it,” he said.

• Brian Cashman has apparently been released from the hospital. Players in camp are well aware of the injury and the way it happened. “My wife told me,” Sabathia said. “Honestly, when she first told me, it wasn’t surprising because you see him doing stuff like that all the time. It wasn’t a shock at all, honestly.”

• Dellin Betances also threw a two-inning simulated game today. Seemed to be legitimately pounding the zone. No radar gun on him or anything, but I thought he looked good.

• The Yankees play in Jupiter — about three and a half hours away — on Thursday and Friday. A large group of players will stay with the team overnight and be available for both games (predictably, Brett Gardner is the biggest name in that group). Six players will travel for the Thursday game, then come back to Tampa (Nova, Robertson, Marshall, Tracy, Suzuki and Stewart). Eight more will stay in Tampa for a workout on Thursday morning, then join the team in time for the Friday game (Warren, Kelley, Rapada, Whitley, Wilson, Nunez, Youkilis and Nix).